This is a difficult book to review, so I'll just write down some of my thoughts,hope I make sense and try not to abuse the italics button.:)First of all,the fact that the author picks a repelling, taboo subject such as incest and morphs it into one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking love stories I, for one, have ever read is a feat in itself and recommendation enough.Now,the fact that all this is done in an utterly believable and realistic manner, is what took it straight to the land of great fiction for me.The thing is though, it doesn't feel like fiction. The characters, the situations they are put in,(and how they subsequently react to them)-the whole progression of the plot really, are completely credible.The plot and the timing are flawlessly orchestrated. Here are some of the most accessible, human, real characters I 've ever come across in a book. And all the more tragic for it. The writing manages to be vivid and honest, both because of the accurate depiction of everyday family life,* worries and duties, and because of the raw emotional confrontations between the protagonists-(and sometimes, even the other characters). The psychological portraits of the heroes come through the two-person narrative with astonishing clarity. You feel for them, even if you don't want to. Worse, you understand them.*There is one part, when the middle child, rebel-in-the-making goes off at night and way past his curfew. Lochan's reaction,first the irrational anxiety, self-doubt and lastly the mounting panic that something must have happened is textbook parent.Lochan and Maya have an unconventional relationship, and that's what makes their story unique and complicated. From an early age, they are forced to rely solely on each other,to raise the family an alcoholic, frivolous mother and an absent father have left them with. And so they are parents, best friends, soulmates in the true meaning of the word. Make no mistake, they are also brother and sister. Suzuma doesn't oversimplify things by erasing/glossing over that aspect. There are consequences to their feelings, not only social (the constant fear of discovery provides the suspense that kept me turning the pages like a madwoman, when I only wanted to savor them), but also personal. They struggle with those feelings, expressing all the natural questions and doubts that the reader has. The exchanges between them, they are heart-rending and so vibrant,that the reader feels like he's watching the scene rather than reading about it. And so you can't help but wish them together.I cried for what was probably a ridiculously long time when I finished this book. The ending was perfect. I have no words. This book will stay with me.
